String anchoring fitment for tennis rackets



Feb. 20, 1951 c. GODFREY STRING ANCHORING FITMENT FOR TENNIS RACKETS Filed Jan. 15, 1947 INVENTOR. .CHARLE5 L. GODFREY Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STRING ANCHORING FITMENT FOR TENNIS RACKETS This invention relates to tennis rackets, and,

, more particularly, has reference to the manner of mounting the strings of the racket where the latter are threaded through apertures in the racket frame, for facilitating fabrication of the racket, and for reducing the manufacturing expense even though an extra fitment is employed in connection with some or all of the strings, while, above all, providing a racket which will have an improved action in use.

As is well known a tennis racket includes a suitable frame provided with crossed strings providing a striking surface relative to the tennis ball to put the same in flight or to intercept the same while in flight. The crossed strings are usually of resilient catgut which should be placed and maintained under high tension.

In the making of tennis rackets, a problem is to provide a frame which may yield to some extent, yet a, frame which is stiff and sturdy enough to take stresses transmitted to it from the strings while the game is being played. If the frame is rigid and the strings drawn too tight, they may break, while if the frame is flexible to any appreciable extent, it does not have the requisite strength. In other words, a problem has long been to provide some practicable form of elastic or resilient means between the catgut or the like and the frame where the former engages the latter, rather than to deprive the frame of any of its ideal degree of rigidity and resistance to flexure.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved tennis racket which shall have the advantage of incorporating a playing surface of high resiliency without subjecting the frame or strings of the racket to the danger of injury.

Anotherobject is to provide an improved re-, silient means for interposition between. meeting frame and string parts; and by an improved such means is meant a practicable one, from the stand oint of cost and manufacture and ease of ready incorporation in making a tennis racket. as well as improved action in use.

For further comprehension of the invention,

and of the objects and advantages thereof, refer-,

ence will be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accom n in drawing forming a material part of t is disc osure:

Fig. 1 is a side e evation in miniature of a tennis racket constructed according to a now preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary showing of a part of the racket frame such as that at a location indicated by the bracket 2 of Fig. 1; said frame part being shown partially in elevation and partially in section so as to illustrate a utility of the invention where, for instance, a plurality of string stretches. pass through merely one of the apertures extending through the frame; the parts here being drawn to about twice the actual scale.

Fig. 3 shows, partially in side elevation and partially in axial section, and on a scaleabout eight times the actual size, one of the fitments shown in Fig. 2 as inserted in each of various of said apertures, and so that, as shown in Fig. 2, one or more string stretches may pass through the hollow interior of a single fitment.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the fitment of Fig. 3; the enlarged head of said fitment providing, in combination with the like heads of a plurality of the fitments adjacently used on the frame, the improved resilient means of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail there is shown at 5 a tennis racket strung, for example, in the manner shown in my earlier U. S. Patent Number 1.773.960. Rigid on a handle 6 is a frame 1 and the latter is strung with catgut or the like to provide a playing surface within the confines of the frame. As is well understood in the art of making tennis rackets, the playing surface is a mesh or network of criss-crossed string stretches, each stretch running from one point on the frame to another. 7 Ordinarily, a plurality of parallel Str tc es ar crossed hv mini-her ralnr litv of parallel stretches, with the latter having direc, tions of extension at ri ht an les to that of the first mentioned p urali y. The criss-crossing strings are generally interwoven.

According t the more usua or sim ler way of providin the p a s rface. mere y one stri g le th is used. which. in passing throu h all but the first and the last transverse aper tures of the fra e is iven a U-bend, at the junction of a stretch sent throu h an a erture from the inner end thereof with the next following stretch sent through the next aperture of the frame from an outer point thereof, so that what may be called the bowl of the U lies flatwise against the outer side of the frame.

In certain rackets, however. as in the one of the patent aforesa d. as shown in Fig. 1 hereof, the central part of the p aying surface is given a double complement of stretches, or rather, at

the central part of the playing surface the eXtra stretches are arranged relative to the others in such manner that a smaller mesh and hence more sharply resilient area of the playing surface is provided at the center thereof. In such case, as will be understood, two strings are employed, and portions of both strings pass through each of certain of the frame apertures. The aperturesjjust referred to are ordinarily the ones the locations of which are indicated in Fig. 1 by small protuberances at the outer periphery of the frame and arranged in fgurgroups of six each, these groups marked 8,- 9", i and H;

Each of said protuberances is roughly indica tive of the enlarged upper end l2 of afitment' M of the kind illustrated on a very large scale in Figs. 3 and 4, and on a scale of about twice actual size in Fig. 2.

In the case where any string stretch is singly passed through an aperture invthe frame, fitl e t lli m be i i all s t ap tur t thisarrangehint is not tews, in" I, orderto' permit the groups ere ert res through u" ab: e mentioned to e the e reed r located. T i v e fili he pen iii i f r l'fig l ent ees. are; 2 i w venue th the tr rejsheyvnin sectionmime u 53f j i i kii as etr at ng a e ture 4. h sr n 8 of Fig. 1; The two string stretches enemas passing through the aperturesof Fig. 2 are there marked Irene ra e epeeave y, g r x l i be? d. ia' l t a ar n d h' a fitme u is sree are, a se emerge to er it ssage through the fitm''nt e: ear enh With the fitment; em loyed at location around the fra'me such that only one string stretch there terminates, the diameter .of said bore and consequently ,the diameter ofthe' stern or shank portion zll of the fitment may be cor -i fiiiss e ssi- However, with the fitfnnts' I 4 molded, as js preferred, to render their cost negligible price he g ipft iem l in f i s. r b' e i alflgrtizsd. it is recommended that all the fitments, wherever t'seg on the frame, be alike, that is haive bb large no h in es -6r to a m d ts it? ad ining p' n .o We di r'sn s n s wherever desired. Thereby merely the e ipense of making only oneniiolding die will be involved, In view I of the plastic material satisfactorily use v nyl te ffitm i a l .d s m have a ll hickpe pf mewha les hab -%e'.'- the stem or shank 25 of the fitm ent l may slipped from the outer sideof theframe into any aperture thereof, yet with such apermire only negligibly of greater diameter than that of said aperture as heretofore dr'illd through the frame for directly taking a single string or a pair of strings. Where, as in Fig: 1, some apertures are to be traversed by one string,- and others by a plurality of strings, the practice isto drillall the apertures to the" saniediniietr.

ean'b'e' retained. I

'Also, a saving is eifected' fully equal to the" cdst er the fitments", tee'e'eeewhee they ei-eus'ed, the previous conical emits-en arge (nbt shown) a the ar e d f t en ue are omitted Theselast noted formations, having to be established one' after another relative to all the apertures, are to eliminate sharp corners across which a string, inserted into an aperture from the outer end of the latter must be drawn very tight to assist in establishing the playing surface of the racket.

As will be noted from the drawings, a pair of longitudinally convex diametrally aligned grooves 22 are provided across the top of an arched substantially dome-shaped head 12 of the fitment; thus eliminating any necessity to countersink the apertures at their outer ends.

\ The resilient means provided by the" present invention results from the behavior of such a resilient plastic as Vinylite, when a fitment M molded therefrom is shaped as shown, that is, teiie've its new l2 generally dome-shaped, and when; at suitable points around the head, for ashereillustrated, the head is given attenuated triangular cut-outs 23.

As will be seen from a comparison of Figs. 3 and 4-, the inner ends of these cut-outs almost reset the upper end of-the stem or shank 20.

-W n ihe i ao st ns es di tab i t -me s 'e'eare; finally' drawn to normal de:

6r tightness, and the'nknottd mplaqe; a U sm t 1 er e'eeptes general action is obtained. Qften however, and at't imesnot to il fit as, i' r in ors l i fi n' he el th i i a then. m a a st t e playing surface. At; that instant; th re should besonie yieldbut a perfectly resi'lientone so that as soon asthe unusually heayy 'shockree ceivpd by the playing surface and transmitted to thframefis' absorbed before damage canbe drie, ,the* playing surface instantaneously re-' be its terms condition; n W four segm nts of tl'rfhead 12,; r anthem I i are' comp'ressed to someektent, when wearing or strin s, are fieel'lylngme ed and knotted at the reiketfeetei-y. The result is that the re imn; actioripf the thus compressed tyvd s'ectors across which the gree 'e re a'tions 22 extend is exceedingly sun yethighly resilient. v I I While Ihaveillustrated and described the preferre'd embodimentsof my invention, it is tobe understood that I do not limitmy'self to the pre- 'cise' constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modiifications coin-3 ing'jvithiri the scope of the invention as defined in ih a p nfi q a I-IaA'Iirig thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure by United States' Letters Patent is 1. In combinationwith a tennis racket frame having an opening for the passage of a string, a fitme'nt comprising a tubular shank inserted mi h 9 2 f 1. a a. d meh a havin arched projectionsseparatedby cutouts formed on the outerend of said tubular shank and beargig} against: the outer f ce er sfem racket wher eby said string may be passed through said shank and across saiddome-shaped head providing a Hence, present practice and economies resilient end anchor for the'string, p p

2. In ee'mbmetienjntn a tennis racket' frame h vin a Q e a; f e. s e 9 a trin e fitment comprising a tubular shank' inserte'd into thefopening, a dorne-shaped head havin arched projections separated by cutouts formed on the outerend of said tubular shank and bearin'g against th outer face of said racket, whereby said string. may be passed through said shank V and acrosfs dome-shaped head providing a s l t a d an h r 9 t e s r Sa dam s haped head being formed with laterally extending diarnetrically opposite grooves for. receiving andguiding said fi fiilg after passing through said tubular shank, said 7 cutouts being extended inwards from the periphery of said head and ar ranged in pairs on opposite sides of said grooves. REFERENCES CITED 1 wlth tenms racket frajme The following references are of record in the having an opening for the passage of a string, me of this patent: a fitment comprising a tubular shank inserted into the opening, a dome-shaped head having 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS arched projections separated by cutouts formed Number Name Date on the Outer end of said tubular shank and bear- 214,030 Edmands Apr. 8, 1879 ing against the outer face of said racket, whereby 674,435 Cooke May 21, 1901 said string may be passed through said shank 1,611,232 Reach Dec. 21, 1926 and across said dome-shaped head providing a 10 343 933 Knowlton Man 14, 1944 resilient end anchor for the string, said cutouts being extended radially inwards from the periph- FOREIGN PATENTS ery of said head. Number Country Date 10,867 Great Britain 1887 CHARLES L-GODFREY- 15 309,238 Great Britain Oct. 10, 1938 

